Miner&#39;s blasting-box.



J. S. BEENECK.

MINER'S BLASTING BOX.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-31.1915.

1,21 7,902. Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. S. BEENEC-K,

MINERS BLASTING BOX. APPLICATION FILED 050.31. 1915.

1,21 7,902. Patented Mar. 6, 1917 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J9 J6 429 J attorney UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH S. BEENECK, OF NANTICOKE, PENNSYLVANIA.

MINER/S BLASTING-BOX.

Application filed December 31, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrrr S. Brannon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nanticoke, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Miners BlastingBoxes, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to new and useful. improvements in blasting boxes and more particularly to safety blasting boxes, the object of my invention being the provision of a blasting box inclosing a manually operable dynamo, a safety lock controlled switch, and, -a second switch operated by the actuating means of the dynamo.

A still further object of my invention is to provide the device with a novel form of wiring including'a local circuit and what may be termed a firing circuit, the dynamo being common to both circuits, the key 0perated switch o both the circuits, and the manually operable switch to the local circuit. In this connection, the resistances of the circuits are such that as long as both, circuits are closed, all current will pass over the local circuit.

A still further object of my invention consists in the provision of a novel means for actuating the dynamo and opening the manually operable switch.

With these and other objects in view, my invention will. be more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and then specifically pointed out in the claims which are attached to and. form a part of this application. I

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved blasting box;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows and showing one wall of the box removed from the remainder and swung at right angles thereto to illustrate the key controlled switch mechanism;

Fi 3 a transverse sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

I igf lw is a diagrammatic view of the wiring system employed.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The preferred embodiment of my inven- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

Serial No. 69,703.

tion includes a casing 10 preferably rectangular in shape, which may be formed of wood or metal, but which is preferably formed of wood in order to avoid the necessity of insulating l'he binding posts and circuit closers. which will be later described, from the casing. This box or casing is provided with one wall 11 which is removable, being normally secured in place by screws or omer suitable fastening devices 12 and the opposed side walls adjacent their lower ends, are interiorly channeled, as at 13, to receive rabbets formed upon the opposite edges of a false bottom 1 1 to support such bottom in place. The casing is provided exteriorly with any suitable form of handle 15 by which the box may be conveniently transported from place to place and binding posts 16 and 17 pass through one wall of the casing, preferably the top wall.

Supported upon the false bottom 12 of the casing, is any suitable form of dynamo 13, the limbs of which carry coils 19 and 20. U-shapcd frame memoers 21 and are provided i bearings 23 in alinement with each otl :r to receive and journal the armatnre shaft which, at one end arries the comn'iutator against which engage the brushes 26 and 27. The opposite end of the armature shaft 2 1 is provided with radially extending pins 28 engae'eable by clutch teeth 39 formed upon one face of a spur pinion 30. These clutch. teeth each have one inclincd and one straight face and are held in engagement with. the pins by a helical spring bearing between the opposite face of the pinion and the frame The upper wall of the casing is formed with an opening to receive a guide ferrule 32 which rectangular in cross section to snugly receive a rack bar the outer end of which carries hand grip 3%: and the h of which mesh with the pinion 80. s rack bar is also guided in its move 1 in a slot formed in the frame member 29, which frame therefore serves to hold bar in engagement with the pinion and is further iided by means of a laterally. directed terminal arm 36, the free end of which is apertinred to receive a vertical guide rod 37, the'ends of which are secured in the upper and lower walls of the casing. The clutch teeth of the pinion, previously referred to, are so formed that upon upward movement of the rack bar, the armature and its shaft will not be rotated, while upon downward movement of the rack bar, the armature will be rotated in order that the dynamo may generate the desired current. Furthermore, because oi the clutch teeth, the armature and its shaft may con tinue to rotate after the rack bar has reached its lOWGlll'lOSil position and so continue to generate current until its rotation stops through friction.

A resilient contact member 38 is secured car on. end to the lower wall of the casing with its free end extending in. the path 01'. nioi'enient of the lower end of the rack bar, this contact member or switch blade being uo formed that its free end is normally spaced above the bottom wall oil the casing in order that it may engage a contact screw 39, which also forms binding post and which is threat ed through the intermediate portion of a U-shaped yoke 40 secured to the base of the casing and straddling the contact blade 38. It will therefore be seen that this blade and screw constitute a switch which will be open when the blade is swung out oi. engagement with the screw by pres sure exerted against it by the lower end of the rack bar when the latter is moved to its lowermost position.

Before describing the wiring of this dynamo and switch, I wish to explain the construction of a second, key controlled switch, indicated as a whole by the numeral l-l. This switch, which is preferably secured to that wall 11 which is removable from the casing, includes alock housing 42, preferably mounted on a block of insulative material 43 secured to the inner face of the wall 11. n, reciprocally mounted bolt llcontained in this housing is adapted to be held in either retracted or extended position by means of a leaf spring 45 carried by the housing and engaging in one or the other of a pair of notches .1-6 formed in the bolt. 1 his bolt is operated by a key l7, the ward of which engages in a notch 49 also formed in. the bolt. The :tront wall of the casing is provided with the usual key receiving opening 50 through which the key may be inserted to the lock and a pin 51 extends transversely of the lock housing in such a manner as to prevent the complete rotation of the key within the look. This lock construction is illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings and it will there be noted that the key may be turned sulliciently to throw the bolt into a tire position. in engagement with the spaced terminals of contact springs 52 and 53, but may not be turned suiliciently to permit its withdrawal from the look. It therefore becomes'neccssary, in order to remove the key, to counter-rotate it which will, of course, retract the bolt and break a circuit through the spring contacts 52 and 53. These contacts are secured to the super/see porting block 43 by binding posts 54 and and normally their free ends are spaced from each other and from the lock bolt 44:, being simultaneously engaged such bolt when it is thrown to extended or active position.

The wiring of the blasting box is extremely simple, as will be apparent upon reference to the drawings. As shown in this figure, one terminal of the coil 19 is connected by means of a conductor wire 56 to the inner t rminal off the binding post 17, while the corresponding terminal. oi the other coil 20 is connected by wire 57 to the inner tr niual oi the binding post wire 5.38 lea lro .i the other terminal coil 1.?) to the spring contact 02 and am the other spring contact 5 3 to the b 4h off the dynamo, while a wire 60 lead. .ilUlIl the otl er terminal of the coil. 90 to the other brush 2'? of the dynamo. A wire 61 leads from the binding post 16 to the contact screw 39, and a wire 62 leads from the binding post 17 to the switch blade 38. The above described wires constitute the inclosed circuits of the blasting box and. wires and 64, preferably in. the form of a cable 65, lead from the outer ends of the binding p sts l6 and 17, being ordinarily led to the place where the blast is to be tired and, in use, connected to the cartridge in the usual manner.

At this point, attention is directed to the fact that, assuming the switch blade 38 is in engagement with the contact screw 39 and 1 the lock bolt a l in engagement with the contacts 52 and 53, a circuit is closed from the brush 26 through the wire 59, contact 53, bolt 4-4, contact 52, wire 58, coil 19, wire 56, wire 62, switch blade 38, contact screw 39, wire 61, wire 57, coil 20 and wire 16 to the brush 27, which hereafter will. be referred to as the local circuit. [is this circuit includes both the key operated switch. and the planger operated switch, it will be clear opening of both or either one of these switches will open the circuit.

In addition to the above described circuit, there is also a circuit from the brush 26, through the wire 59, contact 53, bolt ts, contact 52, wire 58, coil 19, wire 56, wire 6 L, cartridge, wire 63, wire 57, coil 20 and wire 60 to the brush 27. This latter circuit, it will be noted, includes only the key operated switch and not the plunger operated switch and its resistance, due to the length of the cable 65, is, oi. course, much greater than the resistance of the first described circuit. it will, therefore, be clear that it both. circuits are closed and the plunger pressed downwardly to actuate the dynamo and generate current, practically all current generated will pass through the local circuit until such circuit is broken by swinging the switch blade 38 out of engagement with the conthat tact screw 39, after which all current will pass through the second described circuit, which will be termed the firing circuit.

In operation, the cartridge 66 or other charge to be exploded is applied in the usual manner and the wires 68 and 64 led from the binding posts 16 and '17 to the cartridge, these wires, of course, being of such length that the operator firing the blast will be at a safe distance. hen the blast is to be fired, the operator inserts the key in the lock to swing the bolt 44 into engagement with the contacts and 53. Under these circumstances, upon quickly forcing the plunger to its lowermost position, the armature and its shalt will be rotated to generate current and will rotate a considerable time after the plunger has reached its lowermost point, that is, after it has broken the local circuit. The current first generated will pass through the local circuit, but after such circuit has seen broken, the current then generated will pass through the firing circuit and explode the charge.

As the key controlled switch is common to both circuits, it will be apparent that the blasting be); may be used only by one having the proper key and that inasmuch as the key cannot be removed from the look, while the bolt is in active position, all danger of leaving the blasting box in such a manner that it may be employed without the key is avoided.

It will or course be understood that although I have illustrated and described my device in all its details of construction, I do not wish to be limited to such details as various minor changes, within the scope of the appended claims, may be made at any time, without in the slightest degree departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A blasting box including a casing, a dynamo mounted in the casing, a plunger reciprocally mounted through one wall of the casing, operative connection between the plunger and dynamo, whereby reciprocation of the plunger will actuate the dynamo, a circuit breaker adapted to be opened by movement of the plunger to one limit of its movement, a key operated circuit closer, a local circuit-including the dynamo, circuit breaker and circuit closer, and a firing circuit including the dynamo and circuit closer.

2. A blasting box including a casing, a dynamo mounted in the casing, a plunger reciprocally mounted through one wall of the casing, operative connection between the plunger and dynamo, whereby reciprocation ot' the plunger will actuate the dynamo, a circuit breaker adapted to be opened by movement Oil the plunger to one limit of its movement, a key operated circuit closer, a local circuit including the dynamo, circuit breaker and circuit closer, and a firing circuit including the dynamo and circuit closer, the relative resistances of the circuits being such that substantially all current generated by the dynamo will pass through the local circuit when both circuits are closed.

3. A blasting box including a casing, a dynamo having an armature shaft mounted in the casing, a pinion having ratchet connection with the armature shaft whereby rotation of the pinion in one direction will rotate the armature shaft and whereby the armature shaft may continue to rotate after the pinion stops turning, a rack bar reciprocally mounted through one wall of the easing and engaging the pinion, a circuit breaker including a movable member projecting in the path of movement of the rack bar, a key controlled circuit closer, a local circuit including the dynamo, circuit breaker and circuit closer, and a firing circuit including the dynamo and circuit closer.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOSEPH s. BEENEGK. 1.. 8.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

